Yachting: America's Cup rivals test each other out

1.00pm

MARSEILLE – Team Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand sailed together on Tuesday for the first time since the last race of the America's Cup in Auckland last year.

The teams are preparing up for Marseille Louis Vuitton Act, the opening preliminaries for the 32nd America's Cup.

The two boats lined up alongside each other several times, testing speed and crew work.

Neither team appeared to hold any significant advantage, an America's Cup statement said.

K-Challenge was also out on the Rade Sud on Tuesday, the crew putting the boat through its paces and fine-tuning its crew work on numerous manoeuvres.

But the French team didn't appear to line up with the other two boats.

Three other teams, the BMW ORACLE Racing Team, South Africa's Team Shosholoza, and LE DEFI will join them in racing in the Marseille Louis Vuitton Act, beginning on Sunday.

Racing schedule

Marseille Louis Vuitton Act 1 runs from the 5 to 11 September, combining fleet and match racing.

The Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 2 is a match racing event from the 5 to 12 October.

The Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 3 is a fleet racing event, from 14 to 17 October.

Racing will continue in 2005 and 2006

In 2007, a fleet race event will precede the Louis Vuitton Cup, whose winner will then race the defender, Team Alinghi, in the America's Cup Match in Valencia

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/americascup